Older colonial style homes frequently had windows which consisted of an assembly of smaller glass panes separated from one another by horizontal and vertical wooden strips or muntin bars. Modern construction has emulated the decorative appearance of these muntin bars by assembling a false muntin bar assembly adjacent a single pane of glass or between the glass panes in an insulating glass unit to give the appearance that the glass is formed from a number of smaller window panes separated from one another. These false muntin bar assemblies typically consist of a series of flattened tubular components, ordinarily formed from metal or plastic, joined together in horizontal and vertical directions to form a latticework. Retaining clips may be used to secure the free ends of the muntin bar assembly to the window frame. The retaining clips generally include a first portion which fits snugly within the hollow end of the muntin bar, and a second portion which connects to the window frame or to the spacer frame sandwiched between the glass panels of an insulating glass unit.
When a muntin bar extending in a vertical orientation intersects a muntin bar extending in a horizontal orientation, a connector may be used to hold the two muntin bars in assembled relationship. In a typical arrangement, the muntin bars in one series, for example the vertical series of muntin bars, extend continuously between opposite sides of a window frame, with each such muntin bar including apertures extending transversely therethrough at the positions where they are to intersect with horizontal muntin bars. The horizontal muntin bars may be formed in segments sized to fit between the window frame and the nearest vertical muntin bar, or between two consecutive vertical muntin bars. The horizontal muntin bar segments may be assembled to the vertical muntin bars by a muntin connector, such as the conventional prior art connector 10 shown in FIG. 1. Muntin connector 10 includes a male connecting portion 12 and a female connecting portion 14. Male connecting portion 10 includes an elongated spine 16 having a pair of fingers 18 and 20 formed at end 22 thereof. A slot 24 formed between fingers 18 and 20 enables the fingers to deflect toward one another during the connection of male connecting member 12 to female connecting member 14. A pair of lugs 26 and 28, formed on the ends of fingers 18 and 20, respectively, define laterally projecting latch surfaces 30 and 32 which, as described below, engage mating surfaces on female connecting member 14 to hold the connecting members in assembled relationship. At its opposite end 34, spine 16 includes a plurality of fins 36 projecting laterally from opposite sides thereof. Fins 36 are angled toward end 22 of connecting member 12 so as to resist the removal of the connecting member once it has been inserted into a muntin bar segment. Connecting member 12 also includes a pair of arms 38 and 40 which project laterally from spine 16 so as to define a pair of coplanar stop surfaces 42 and 44 at a predetermined distance from the end 22 of the connecting member.
The female connecting member 14 may include a central body 46 having an opening 48 formed at end 50 thereof. Opening 48 is sized and shaped so that fingers 18 and 20 deflect toward one another upon insertion of end 22 of connecting member 12 into opening 48. Apertures 52 and 54 formed through body 46 intersect opening 48 and define ledges 56 and 58 for mating with the latch surfaces 30 and 32 formed on the free ends of fingers 18 and 20. Female connecting member 14 also includes a plurality of fins 60 projecting laterally from opposite sides of body 46. As with fins 36 on connecting member 12, fins 60 are angled toward end 50 of connecting member 14 so as to resist the removal of the connecting member after it has been inserted into a muntin bar segment. A pair of arms 62 and 64 project laterally from body 46 and define a pair of coplanar stop surfaces 66 and 68 coextensive with end 50 of connecting member 14.
Muntin connector 10 may be used as follows to connect two horizontal muntin bar segments to a vertical muntin bar. Firstly, connecting member 12 is inserted through a transverse aperture in the vertical muntin bar until stop surfaces 42 and 44 contact one longitudinal edge of the muntin bar with fingers 18 and 20 protruding from the opposite longitudinal edge. Connecting member 14 may then be assembled over fingers 18 and 20 of connecting member 12 until latch surfaces 30 and 32 on the fingers engage ledges 56 and 58 in opening 48, locking the two connecting members together. At this point, the stop surfaces 66 and 68 on connecting member 14 will contact or be in very close proximity to the longitudinal edge of the vertical muntin bar opposite connecting member 12 so that the vertical muntin bar is sandwiched between the connecting members. The horizontal muntin bar segments are then assembled over the exposed portions of connecting members 12 and 14 and pushed toward and against the vertical muntin bar to form a gapless connection. In this regard, the width and thickness of connecting members 12 and 14 are dimensioned to create a snug friction fit engagement within the horizontal muntin bar segments, thereby providing a secure assembly of the horizontal muntin bar segments to the vertical muntin bar.
Although muntin bar connector 10 provides a neat and secure connection between vertical and horizontal muntin bars, it creates difficulties should the muntin bars need to be disassembled from one another, as may be the case where a muntin bar is defective or becomes damaged during window assembly. Thus, for example, to remove a horizontal muntin bar segment, a pulling force is exerted on the muntin bar segment in an effort to slide it off the connecting member on which it is assembled. However, because the frictional force between the muntin bar segment and the underlying connecting member is frequently greater than the force holding connecting members 12 and 14 together, attempts to remove a horizontal muntin bar segment from the underlying connecting member often result in the disassembly of the muntin connector. When that occurs, the end 22 of connecting member 12 protrudes from the end of the muntin bar segment and can be easily grasped to remove the connecting member from the muntin bar segment. Although this is not a difficult procedure, it adds to the overall time required to complete a muntin bar assembly. Connecting member 14, on the other hand, will lie entirely within the muntin bar segment, and as a result requires special tools for removal. This is a time-consuming process, increasing the cost of manufacture. To maintain manufacturing speed, connecting member 14 may simply be discarded along with the its associated muntin bar segment, again at an increase in manufacturing costs.
There therefore exists a need for a muntin connector having components which are easily assembled to one another, but which allow muntin bar segments to be removed therefrom without the components becoming disassembled.